Late Homers Help Dartmouth Sweep Yale

HANOVER, N.H. - Stephanie Trudeau pitched a one-hit shutout to lead Dartmouth to a 2-0 victory over Yale in the first game of an Ivy League doubleheader at Sachem Field. Courtney Blachford had the only hit for the Bulldogs, a double to left field with two out in the third inning. In the second game, Kelly Fry and Alyssa Parker hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning as the Big Green rallied for a 3-2 win. Ashley Sloan went 3-for-4 with a run scored for Yale.

In the opener, Rebecca Wojciak pitched well for the Bulldogs but was the hard-luck loser. She retired the first eight Big Green hitters and allowed only three hits in the game.

Dartmouth (12-21, 8-6 Ivy) scored two unearned runs in the fourth. Nikki Yee reached on an error and moved to second on Ashley Gleason's sacrifice bunt. Fry then walked, and with two out, Leigha Clarkson laced a two-run double down the left-field line.

Trudeau also retired the first eight hitters she faced before Blachford's double in the third. Yale threatened again in the fourth. Christina Guerland led off with a walk. She was erased on a fielder's choice, but Katie Edwards drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and second. Both, though, were left stranded.

Trudeau, who struck out five, retired 10 in a row to close out her seventh win of the season.

The Bulldogs (18-16, 3-11 Ivy) struck first in the second game. Sloan led off with a single to center and stole second. With one out, Aracelis Torres hit a grounder to third. She was retired at first, but Sloan scored when Parker's return throw to third was wild. Kyli Hanson and Holly Gutterud each followed with singles, but Dartmouth pitcher Angela Megaw avoided further damage.

The Big Green tied it in the second when Christy Austin's sacrifice fly to center scored Katie Chifcian.

A two-out rally in the fourth gave Yale a 2-1 lead. Megan Enyeart doubled over the centerfielder's head and scored on Tracy Timm's single to right.

Fry, though, led off the bottom of the fifth with a long home run over the scoreboard in left, and Parker followed with a blast to left center.

Edward's pinch-hit single in the seventh put the tying run on base, but Trudeau came on in relief to retire the next two hitters.

Deanna DiBernardi pitched four innings for the Bulldogs and struck out three. Gutterud followed with two innings of scoreless relief.

Both benefited from some fine defense. In the first with a runner of first, Gleason hit a hard shot back up the middle that glanced off DiBernardi. Torres made a diving stop near the second base bag and managed to touch the base with her back leg to get the force out. In the fifth with a runner on first, Guerland made a nice back-handed stop on Sarah Bankoff's grounder and flipped the ball from her glove to Torres to get the force at second.

The same two teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at noon.